I've decided this blog won't be strictly couponing. I swear I have ADD and I somewhat lack the ability to focus on one particular subject without quickly becoming bored. I'm pretty much all over the place.
Lately, I've been super excited about the upcoming cooler weather. I love organizing the kids closets (that's about the only thing that stays organized in our house). I go through the closet and match up outfits and enjoy layering the boys button fronts with sweaters and the girls tunics and leggings. I have a system that I started for the boy 5 years ago that I've stayed with and it's proven so invaluable. Here's where I come clean and confess what those close to me already know: I'm a kid's clothes hoarder.I have a problem leaving a unique and cute children's clothing item on the rack, especially if it's the last one and marked down like 90% off, I just can't leave without it. I feel like someone won't appreciate it and it will end up in a dump or shipped back to China where they will use it for scraps...it's a weird hangup I have, I know.
Right after my 18 week ultrasound with the boy over 5 years ago, where I found out his sex, I started shopping. I often found that what I wanted wasn't available in his size but it was in a larger size so I just bought it. I buy ahead. I have huge rubbermaid tubs in the bottom of both kids closets packed full of clothes in too big sizes. When they were infants I planned on them wearing a bigger than normal size since everyone in our family is tall and my planning worked out perfectly. I go through their tubs and pull out the size they're in and if I'm missing something, I wait for it to go on sale and buy it. The good thing about living in the south is by the time it gets cold enough to need a winter coat, if I don't already have one stored away, I can get one on sale because the stores are planning for the next season.
When the boy was a baby and outgrew things seemingly overnight, I didn't get rid of anything. We knew we wanted more children and as frugal as I am, I sure didn't want to replace everything. I also knew if we had another boy later that I wanted to use the same monogram so I was able to save those things as well. When I found out our second was a girl, I put most of the boys stuff on Ebay and was able to unload a large amount in a short period of time. I really consider my shopping habits as clothes recycling. I sell the small stuff and use that $ to rebuy bigger.
Dressing a girl isn't near as easy as dressing a boy. I'm very picky about what the girl wears so I'm not quick to shop off the rack in chain retail stores for her as I prefer something more one of a kind and boutique. I broke down and went to Carter's a couple of Weeks ago and found their clearance racks had items for $2.99 with an additional 40% off. Yes, please! I stocked up on solid knit t-shirts, leggings, pajamas, etc. I then decided to check out Oshkosh and they had the same sale there. I found several really cute tops and some basic white capris (that I can't wait to pair with a chambray top) in a too big size that I ended up getting for a total of less than $10. The girl loves to play dress up and put on one of the shirts and I realized due to the way it's made, she can wear it as a dress. I paired that with a pair of boots and instant cuteness for crazy cheap. We got so many compliments and several people asked me if I had it made but, the secret was that boutique looking dress was actually a $2 top! I also frequent Facebook boutique websites looking for them to unload their seasonal stuff crazy cheap and get most of her ruffle pants there and have never paid more than $10 a pair.
Since my love of boutique clothing can tend to get expensive I've recently started going to consignment sales and am amazed not only by how inexpensive the prices are but how often people overlook a quality, well-made piece. I buy most of her smocked dresses either at consignment sales or on Ebay and the most I've spent on one was $15 and only because it was for her birthday party and I HAD to have it. I buy her Christmas dresses in June and her Easter dresses in October. Nobody wants to hold on to a dress for a year just to sell it for more in season.
My most favorite thing to shop for are shoes! I love shoes and especially love shoes for the kids. After "DaDa" the very next word the girl said was,"shoes" & I wish I was kidding. She has to wear shoes to bed and learned her colors from looking at shoes. I hit up the markdown section at the shoe store and buy a couple sizes too big and those go on the shelves in their closets waiting on a little foot to grow into it. I scored a pair of Sperry boots for the boy for only $11 the beginning of summer last year that he grew into this year and he LOVES them! The girl wears an 8 in toddlers and I'e got shoes put back for her up to a size 1.5.
Variety is the spice of life and your kids only allow you to dress them for so long. I'm going to relish in the moments my kids are small enough to look to me for wardrobe advice and the rare occasions the boy thanks me for, "making him look nice". His teachers told him all last year that he was always so well put together and he dressed like a preppy politician. I'll take that as a compliment. I believe the way your children are dressed is a direct reflection of the parent and it bothers me to see parents dressed to the nines and their kids in $1 Walmart flip-flops and a stained t-shirt.
You can dress your kids in quality and quite well, on a budget with some planning. I was able to get the girl a few things she was missing to complete her fall wardrobe for about $30 & now she's set because I planned ahead. Anyone can do it and what's more fun than wearing your yoga pants and a t-shirt to go shopping in your kids closet and not having to spend a dime?
